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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · court · pound · sharp · wound · current · bear · pitcher

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. current — of water
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. court — of law
  6. current — happening now
  7. wound — an injury
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. court — for sport
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. court — of a king
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pound — a weight
  24. current — electric

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com